Pack opener



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A. R. MCARTHUR 1,766,299

PACK OPENER FiledOCb. 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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`vme 24, 1930. A. R. MCARTHUR 1,766,299

` PACK OPENER Filed Oct. 19, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inveno':

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Patented June 24, 1930 UNTTED i STATES PATENT ortica ARTHUR R. MCARTHUR, F GARY, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY PACK OPENER Application filed October 19, 1928. Serial No. 313,544.

and, more particularly, to pack openers for opening or separating the several sheets ofv packs of hot rolled sheets or plates, land has for its object the provision of anovel pack opener adapted to work the packs of sheets as they are passed therethrough so as to break the bond between the sheets.

Another object of my invention is to prow vide suitable guides so spaced and arranged that they will provide breaking edges against which the pack may be worked.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan of a pack opener constructed in accordance with this invention. Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line III--III of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the main frame of the machine consists of a base 2 and a pair of spaced side housings 3 and 4.

A pair of horizontal feed-in pinch rollers 5 and 6 are journaled in suitable bearings in the side housings at the rear or entrance end of the machine, and a pair ofv horizontal feed-out pinch rollers 7 and 8 are journaled in suitable bearings in the side housings at the forward or exit end of the machine.

The space between the pairs of pinch rollers 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 is bridged by a pair of vertically spaced guide members 9 and 10. The guide members 9 and 10 have their central portions cut away in skeleton form leaving continuous or solid transverse guide sections adjaoentboth the feedin and feed-out pinch rollers, which sections are connected by relatively narrow connection strips 12.

The continuous or solid transverse guide sections adjacent the feed-in pinch rollers are designated by the numeral 13 andextend substantially parallel with each other on a horizontal plane. These sections 13 of the guides 9 and 10 are spaced apart only sufficiently to permit a relatively slight or workable clearance for the packs of sheets or plates to be opened.

The guides 9 and 10 are arched upwardly and downwardly from the solid sections 13` so as to provide clearance for working the packs of sheets or plates.

A pair of rotary beaters are mounted intermediate the pairs of pinch rollers and are composed ofl shafts 15 which are journaled in suitable bearings inthe side hous-V ings 3 and 4, and are provided with beater' arms 16. The beater arms 16 are preferably mounted at diametrically opposite points on the shafts 15 and are formed in sections which are spaced along the shafts 15 so as to provide clearance spaces for the connecting strips 12 of the guides., i v

The beaters are preferably arranged so that the beater arms 16 of the top beater will extend at right angles to the beater arms 16 ofthe lower beater, and the beaters areA adapted to be maintained in this relation and operated in unison by means of kgears 18 and 19, mounted on the respective beater shafts 15 and meshed together.y The upper beater shaft 15 is connected directly to the armature shaft 20 of a motor 21 byna coupling 22. i Y

The pinch l'rollers 5 and 6 are connected by gears 23 kand 24 and the pinch rollers 7 and 8 are connected by gears 25 and 26, rlfhe upper pinch rolls 5 and 7, of therespective pairs of pinch rolls, fhave their shafts extended and are provided withsprockets 27 and 28 which are connected by a chain 29, so that all of'said 'pinch rolls will be operated in unison. The upper feed' in pinch roll 5 is connected throughV gears 30 and 31, and a standard speed reducingk unit 32 with a drive-motor 33.

lIn operation, the motors 2l and 33 will be energized so as to operate the pinch rollers 5 and 6 and 7 and8 and the beater shafts 15. When the machine is in operation, a pack of sheetsV or plates consisting ofeither four oreight sheets will be fed into lthe bite ofthe feedin pinch rollers 5 and 6, either manually or byV automatic means, asV desired.

Therollers 5 and. 6 will feed the pack between the guides 9 and 10 and into the path of the beater arms 16 which `will strike the pack alternately on the -top andbottom lili() so as to alternately flex or bend the pack up and down against the edges of the solid sections lof the guides, thus breaking the bond or adhesions between the sheets and cansino the packs to open.

By alternately striking thepack on the top and bottoni faces so as to bend tlio pack in opposite directions, the bends counteract each other so that the packs are deliveredivtlirough the feed-rout pinch rollers in a a relatively flat condition.

The relatively7 sharp bend caused by forcing the pack against the edges of the sections 13 of the guides 9 and l0 vis also essential since it causes the adhesions between the sheets to break more readily than would be the case if a large radius bend were-niade as would be the case ify the sections 13 .of the guides were spaced too ywidely or if the y guides were omitted. Y

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment Lof my invention it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since various modifications may Y be .made without departing from the scope thereof, as. defined in the appended claims.

L A .pack opening ,machine for packs 4of sheets and plates comprising a main frame, a pain-of feed-in pinch rollers, a pair of feed-outpinch rollers, a pair of spaced guide members between said pairs of pinch rollers, a 'pairliof beater members journaled intermediate said pairs` ofpinch rollers and above and below said guide members so. as

to alternately strike the opposite faces of the 4packs to bend and flex said packs out of their normal line of feed, said guides being continuous ybetweensaid beaters and said feed-in pinch rollers and being spaced onlysufcient to permit a workable clearance so thatsaid beaters can force said packs toj-bend and flex valong the edge of said continuous portion of said guides.

2. .A .pack opening-machine for packs of sheets and plates comprising ,a main frame,I a .pair ofv horizontal feedin pinoli rollers, a pair: of horizontal feed-outpinch rollers' spaced materially forwardof said feed-in pinch rollers, a pair of vertically spaced guide;members between said pairs -of pinch' rollers, a pair ofhorizontally arrangedvertically, spacedrotary .beaters journaled-intermediate said pairs-of pinch rollers and abovek and below said guidefmembers so as to alternately 'strike the top and Abottom faces yof the packs to bend and flex saidy packsont of theirnormalline of feed, said guides; being continuousbetween said beat:V ers-and said feedsinpinch, rollers and being spaced only suflicient to permit a workable clearance so that saidbeaters can forcesaid packs -to bend andfex along the edge -of saidt continuous i portion yof lsaid 5guides.`

3.; A fpack opening machine for packs of sheets and plates comprising a main frame, a pair of horizontal feed-in pinch rollers, a pair of horizontal feed-out pinch rollers spaced materially forward of said feed-in pinch rollers, a pair of vertically spaced guide members between said pairs of pinch rollers, a pair of horizontally arranged vertically spaced rotary beaters journaled intermediate said pairs of pinch rollers and above and below said guide members so.. as

to alternately. strikeithe top and bottom faces of the packs to bend and flex said packs out of their normal line of feed, said beaters being rotated at a materially greater speed than said pinoli rollers so that said beaters will strike said packs at relatively close intervals along the pack and thereby work the entire area of the pack, said guides being continuous between said beaters and said feed-in pinch rollers and being spaced only .suflicient to permit a workable clearance so thatsaid beaters can force said packs to bend and flex along the edge of said continuous portion of said guides.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

' ARTHUR R.' MCARTHUR. 

